Predicting the Broncos schedule, and our schedule wish list

Posted Mar 25, 2020 2:47 PM

Predicting the Broncos schedule, and our schedule wish list

By: Dave Collins, Eagle Radio Chadron Sports Director

The NFL releases its regular season schedule next
month. A few games will trickle out
before the full release in April, like the season opener on Thursday, September
10, which will in all likelihood see the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs
hosting a marquee opponent.

Let’s have some fun predicting what the Denver Broncos
schedule will look like, and look at our “wishful" schedule for the upcoming
season while we wait for sports to return and for the NFL Draft!

·
Melvin Gordon is now a Bronco, Chris Harris is now
a Charger. A division rivalry game in
the 8:20 p.m. ESPN slot will be enticing for ESPN, especially with two of the
best players for each team switching jersey colors.

·
Denver gets a look at new Panthers quarterback
Teddy Bridgewater early in the season.
Schedule makers like to send Denver to the East Coast for
cross-conference games early in the year and I’m betting Carolina is Denver’s
first trip. I’d like to see the road
trip to New York early with a better chance to see a healthy Sam Darnold and
Drew Lock in an awesome young QB match-up, plus this is a tricky road game that
would be beneficial to get out of the way early and in good weather.

·
Miami is spending a lot of money in free agency
and will be a much different team than the one that looked vastly overmatched
in 2019. One major mock draft has Miami
taking Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovaiola, which could mean another solid young
QB showdown. If Denver gets Tennessee
early rather than late, it would be a big early home game opportunity to build
confidence over a playoff team with a win.

·
Denver will spend a lot of time on the eastern
seaboard this year with its schedule rotation hitting the AFC East. Following a Dolphins trip to Denver the
Broncos get on a jet, to face the Jets, in New York. Again, the Sam Darnold and Drew Lock
matching-up is enticing, two young guns trying to prove themselves early in the
season, and La’Veon Bell will have to find ways to navigate a Denver defense that
has had some nice upgrades and will get Bradley Chubb back to compliment Von
Miller. It would be good to get the
Chiefs out of the way early on the road, maybe catch them with a Super Bowl
hangover.

·
Denver’s one and only Thursday night game needs
to be a divisional rivalry in order to draw up a national audience this
year. It doesn’t get more “rivalry” than
the Raiders. Weather is usually still
pretty good in early-to-mid October and I’d like to see Tom Brady with his new
team fairly early on when both teams have a dog in the hunt.

·
Atlanta is already assured of an international
game in London and reports are that the Broncos are a popular choice for their
opponent. Denver has a strong worldwide
following and after playing Vegas at home they’ll get 10 days off to travel and
prepare for this early morning kickoff, look for an 8:00 a.m. local time start,
which would be 2:00 in the afternoon in London.

Week 7 – October 25 – Predicted: BYE / Wishful: BYE

·
Who wouldn’t want an extra week off to get re-acclimated
to the Mountain Time Zone after a trip overseas? This seems like a no-brainer. If Denver gets
an international game this year they’ll have a bye the week following no matter
when it hits the official schedule. Right in the middle of the season is perfect for a bye week for a re-charge to be ready for a playoff push.

·
Back to divisional play to start November and
finish out the first half of the season.
It’s a close trip to California to face the Chargers, a break Denver
should receive after going overseas. I
definitely want to see a divisional game following London, and a home game
would be my preference to cut down on travel lag with half a season to go. The Raiders will be the most-winnable
division game, so why not have it at home following the longest road trip to
ease into the second half?

·
It makes sense to give Denver two home games
next and the Titans fit in nicely here.
There were some whispers that Tennessee running back Derrick Henry could
land in Denver if the Titans couldn't sign him but he was franchise-tagged and
will be a force for the Denver defense to try and stop. But, with a bye and a home game I’m good with
Denver hitting the road for a trip to Carolina to face the Panthers
mid-season. Too much time at home in one
chunk can lead to distractions and complacency.
A tough NFC road game should re-focus the team for the stretch run.

·
Division rivals meet for Denver’s only Monday
Night Football appearance. A strong
rivalry, the Super Bowl champs come in as the “better team” but make the
sacrifice of a road game to give TV executives hope for a more compelling
game. I’d rather see the close road game
against an easier opponent to follow Carolina.

·
The Sunday before Thanksgiving could see the
Broncos return east to face the Patriots.
When it was Brady vs. Manning this game was great to see later in the
season, and also created the vibe of this match-up always being of late-season
importance. Even though both of those
Hall-of-Fame signal callers are gone, I think the late-season sentiment created
will carry over this fall and position this game for the back-half of the
slate. Oh and simply put, I want to celebrate
my birthday week with a non-traditional opponent, and a home game, so I can be
in the stands!

·
Tom Brady brings his new team to Denver – a
place he’s played with playoff implications on the line and Super Bowl berths
up for grabs. Denver is the only
opponent Brady doesn’t have a career winning record against and the Bucs should
be driving for the NFL playoffs at this point.
Hopefully the Broncos will be too and whether it’s Tampa or at Brady’s
old house in New England, Week 12 should deliver the goods.

·
With five games to go the playoff push gets
really strong and divisional games come back into focus. The Broncos go to Las Vegas, or maybe
Oakland, to begin December. While
reports are saying the new Raiders stadium will be ready for this season, the
team officially has until April 1 to announce if it will play in Vegas or
return to Oakland for one more year while construction finishes up. It’s interesting to note that the Raider website lists the Las Vegas Bowl and Pac-12 Championship but no mention of 2020
Raiders home games yet…meaning it still might not be decided. I thought we were finally done with the Black
Hole, but maybe not until 2021. The
clock is ticking….

·
Cold weather. Steel. Grit. Factories. Tradition. Snow. I think the NFL sends Denver to Pittsburgh
for an intriguing challenge to Pittsburgh’s effort to make the playoffs at a time the weather could be a factor and the game could be a grinder. Wouldn't you love to see Drew Brees and the
high-flying Saints with former Bronco Emmanuel Sanders come back to Denver for
a national TV night game?

·
Drew Brees signed a $50 million deal to
quarterback the Saints for two more seasons.
Drew Lock may be looking to lead Denver into the playoffs. If both teams have big playoff implications
NBC could flex this game into Sunday Night Football, and I think it’s Denver’s
only shot to play under the lights on Sunday night.

·
John Elway – Jim Kelly. What great December and January games those
two played decades ago when the AFC championship always seemed to go through
Denver or Buffalo. The Bills snagged a
huge playmaker in Stephon Diggs from Minnesota, a guy that the Broncos were
rumored to be in play for as a potential landing spot for the super receiver. If the Broncos are in playoff contention I’d
rather see Miami here as opposed to Tennessee.

·
The final Sunday before the playoffs is always a
divisional game and the Chiefs get the break here with a home date as a small
reward for the defending Super Bowl champs who may be playing for home field
advantage. Since I have Denver hoping to
start the season at home, we have to put them in a road game to close it
out. Why not the Raiders? It should be the weakest divisional opponent, and by following the Dolphins Denver gets two very winnable games to clinch a playoff
berth.

CHADRON, Neb. -- March 24, 2020 -- The University of Northern Colorado announced Tuesday the addition of Chadron State College Head Men's Basketball Coach Houston Reed to its bench, naming him its assistant men's basketball coach. He will join his former teammate, Steve Smiley, who played two seasons with him at Northern State University under coach Don Meyer. Smiley was named UNC's head coach last week.

"I'm thankful for the opportunity and trust given by athletic director Joel Smith and President Randy Rhine the last four years to lead the men's basketball program at CSC," said Reed. "Our mission has always been to lead young men and create future leaders. My family and I are thankful for the Chadron community and the relationships we were able to develop in our time here."

Coach Reed leaves the CSC program with a solid core of rising upperclassmen, including five who will be seniors and three juniors. Four of them - Walker Andrew, Brady Delimont, Jacob Jefferson, and Kayden Sund - will have been with the Eagles for at least two full seasons and were all part of a 2018-19 team that posted double-digit wins in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference for the first time in seven years.

In each of his four seasons at CSC, at least one Eagles men's basketball player has garnered All-RMAC honorable mention from the league's coaches, and in 2019-20 he had two players on the list.

His recruiting classes were among the best in the league year in and year out. He signed three state players of the year, at least 13 All-State players altogether, five with NCAA Division I experience, and numerous junior college transfers.

Reed heads to Greeley with a career head coaching record of 196-228, including his 10 seasons at Otero College, where he coached head to head against Smiley, who was at Sheridan College six seasons. Reed's record at Chadron State was 22-88 over four seasons.

I'm happy for Coach Reed and his family," said Smith. "This is the best situation for them right now. We will move forward to address our needs in the best way we can."

All questions regarding the Chadron State basketball program may be directed to coach Jalen Little at 719-271-3727, at this time.

Due to the current uncertainty brought on by the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the CSC athletics department will delay any further announcements about its men's basketball coaching position until a clearer path forward emerges.